March 14, 1945

Dear Gang,

Well, it's been quite a winter here this side of the world. We have had more snow, I guess, than any time since the Indians left. Fellows keep dropping in to see me to chew the fat, Freddie Day, for example, last week. I wish I had kept a list of everybody who has hung his feet on my desk in the last two months; and I am going to do that between now and the next letter. There is a stack of mail here from the four winds of the world and news aplenty, but lets get the bad news over with first. We have added three gold stars since I wrote you in December; Private Larry E. Lind, '45 was killed in France in the infantry, Dec. 14. Lt. Fred Wolhstein, who was earlier reported missing on Aug. 15 over France, is now definitely reported dead, as it Lt. Will Valley, whom I reported missing in the last letter. Among the missing are Pvt. Russel Bailey, 103rd infantry and Irv Finger. Lt. Mikeis a POW in Stalag near Munich. Bob Gleason's wife, Ethel, was in to see me a while ago and told me something of Bob. She has both character and courage. I always hate this part of the letter and yet I am aware that this is one of the things you always want to know too.

I cannot even attempt to acknowledge all of your Xmas cards. Some of them were so interesting that we put up a bunch of them in the exhibit case in the library for a while. One of the most unusual came from Lt. Col. THURSTY PAUL from Germany, showing the route of the 7th Corps from their landings, through Chartres, to Aachen. The thing that was disturbing about it was, of course, that it arrived just during the days of the Bulge and it helped make increasingly real what was a haunting knowledge all through Xmas week, that I had so many good friends right in front of that thrust. Some of them, I found later, were drinking like pigs at a wallow in Paris, but we can forgive them that. Yesterday brought a letter from BOB REINOW, now a Lt., after completing OCS in Australia in a class, 42% of which washed out. He ran into JOHNNIE MOULD at Ipstich one Saturday night and they seemed to have had a convivial meeting. He also ran into GARDEPHE, whom he located via my last letter. Lt. (jg) WILLIAM G. HARDY has been assigned to speech cases in the Philadelphia Naval hospital, which is putting the right man in the right job. Pvt. VARLEY LANG, also of our English dept., has stopped polishing his gold brick and is now falling in and out deep in the gizzard of Texas. Lt. HANK SISK after a spell teaching in Texas is back at the hospital in Framingham, Conn. Lt. WARREN DENSMORE was/is? in the States for a while after his long tour of duty on the French Coast. I talked to him on the phone but did not get the chance to see him. Another old friend I missed was Capt. BOB BENEDICT, with many a Pacific battle ribbon, who was home for close to three weeks but every time I called him, he was out, and when he called me, I was out. I went up to see Miss Andrea Takas the other day. It looks as though ANDY has as good taste in daughters as he has in wives. (OK, make it singular.) FRANK KEHRIG and BEN COMI have been around these parts and left notes on my desk but I havenÕt seen them. From the CBI came Xmas cards fromBOB PETERS, BERNIE ARBIT, BILL THOMAS, BOB MARGISON. BobÕs pretty wife is taking courses here at college and tells me he was recently arrested in Assam for speeding. Lt.NICK MORSILLO sent me a 50 dollar Chinese bill which he figured was worth about 12¢; also a stick of chewing gum which is worth about the same thing in this country. He says, ÒI have been one of ChenaultÕs Flying Tigers for a little over three months now and have only two missions to my credit so far, so I donÕt feel much like a combat man. However, the reason for this situation should disappear shortly so I can get under way on my other 48 missions.Ó As long as whiskey-jungle rations keep coming through, he is staying off Jingbao Juice. It was also Nickwho made my holiday brighter by sending me a cablegram of greetings, which I greatly appreciated. Lt. JOE McCABE says, ÒFinally got out of the boy scout outfit in N. Africa; in CBI for better things, I hope". Joe, you might try writing BILL FORREST: S.Sgt. W.E. Forrest, Hq. Sq. 9, 9th MAW--FHF--MCAS, Cherry Point, N.C. and if Bill would like to answer Joe, try 1252, AAFBU, APO 369, PH, NYC.Lt. TOMMIE BREEN is in China also. He has been moving around a great deal all through the China area, setting up weather stations. "So far I haven't had to evacuate any bases although a couple that I had been at are no longer ours. Though the 29s are hitting heavy, I can't but be a bit of a pessimist. These people (Japs) don't think of reason the way we do. They are not supermen, but they are far from pushovers, and there is a lot of territory on the Asiatic mainland which may have to be occupied before the end. Russia may be the key to that problem." Thanks a lot for the Chinese money which I am adding to the collection. He says of this, "The black market exchange is about 500 to 1. Since a year ago October when I landed in China, the rates have advanced from about 80 to 1." Tom wants to know if any of the rest of you are thinking of staying in the Army? It looks not so bad to him. I had a letter from BETTY DILLENBECK, DOUG's wife, who says that Doug is now in Oahu, and she sent me a picture of Dougwhich I have put up with the others. You will be grieved to know that her brother, Prof. CANDLYN's son, was killed in the battle of the Bulge. Pvt. RUTHIE HINES, when she wrote me in January, was having a whale of a wonderful time in the New Guinea jungle. She ran into some Statesmen out there but was pretty damn cagey about who. I've underground reports recently that she was laid up with a foot disease but is now ok. Anything that tended to interrupt her social life is definitely bad. CURT PFAFF is on Guadalcanal, where he ran into DALE WOOD, who is in Army Transport and who stopped in at Guadalcanal. They spent some pleasing hours aboard Dale's yacht. The day after Wood left, FRANK WOODWORTH stopped off on his way home. Frank is now back at college, having been given a medical discharge, and is beginning to throw his weight around pretty effectively as an undergraduate. S/Sgt. JOHN GARDEPHE is, as I said before, in Australia. As you might expect, John found a first-class place to live at Askot Park in Brisbane and some of you might look him up at SIS Base 3. Johnsent an Australian thripence which I am hoarding against a rainy day. ALLAN TERHO is at Oahu, Hawaii. There is in Allan's letter a note which I frequently get from people who are in relatively safe areas. It is one of embarrassment that they are not in a position to be shot at. Cheer up, Pal, we got two or three years to go yet. S/Sgt. GEORGE MILLER is in New Guinea and the letter is covered with spots where he drooled just at the mention of scotch and soda; going to return to State. Lt.DICK RIBNER is also in New Guinea and writes me on the finest, cheapest correspondence paper the Jap army can produce. At least, I think that's what it was intended for. It has writing on it so any other supposition seems unlikely, Mosquitoes, heat, mud, are all there, but Dick is up in the mountains where the view is pretty handsome. Cpl. GEORGE BENNETT, same island, has the same APO as George Miller, if that's any help to either of them. He is sitting on his end with AAA and doubts that there is any war within 10,000 miles of where he is, except that they keep shipping in casualties which are pretty convincing. "By golly, the guys in our hospital are hurt--some of them bad, and they tell stories, which, no doubt, a censor would not all to go through for the sake of home-front morale, that gives all of us the urge. No use my trying to explain exactly what I mean". REX FINSTER is somewhere on the same island, but he says the climate is mostly heat well diluted with rain. It rains once every 24 hours--constantly. No one else has your APO, Rex, which looks like something they give to cross-eyed crap shooters. While a wife and child are bound to complicate the matter of education, they also give a man terrific incentive so that he is apt to get a lot more done that if he is just plugging for himself. LOU GREENSPAN is in the South Pacific. He is with the 65th Bomb Squadron of the 3rd Bomb Group. In Sydney, Australia, where he recently went for a rest leave, he ran into Ex-Dean SALLY DELANEY, who is now in charge of the Red Cross unit in Sydney, and Lt. HAL SINGER. Lou visited MIKE DIGIOIA, who is Weather Officer for the 3rd Bomb Group and spent some time with Captain STEVE GODFREY, another Weather man. Lou also ran into MADELINE BEERS running a Red Cross unit in New Guinea, of whom he saw quite a bit when he was stationed at an airstrip near there. Lou saw BOB MEEK at MacArthur's Hdqs. When he wasn't visiting, he put in 240 hours of combat flying. As for Australian women, he says, "You don't have to beat them off with clubs--a slight kick or cuff with the hand is enough to send them on their way when they get too bothersome." There seems to be some question whether or not a rest leave in Sydney is really a rest at all. Capt. CHARLIE ETTINGER, USMC, is in the field somewhere in the Pacific. These Marines are cagey about where they are. You're dead wrong about my fiendish glee in recording an F in my little book; it was an E--I looked it up.Charlie ran into MAX EDELSTEIN when his carrier docked at San Diego a while back. ED TOMASIAN was also there.Charlie expects to be a proud papa about this time--he's married, I might add. He is regimental communications officer of the Sixth Marines; and here are his regards to the gang and here's our best of luck to him. PHIL (FELIX) KAUFMAN says that I was all wrong about everything I said about him in the last letter. Well, here's the straight dope on Kaufman: he never did any teaching at Boca Raton, but he did have his airborne radar training there and went overseas on short order. He is not A/C but an honest-to-God shavetail. Phil saw Bill Forrest during his leave, of which more later. A letter from JOHN GARDEPHEtold about running into Rienow. John says CURLY TAYLORhas gone north, and I would appreciate that APO, John. He wants all the SLS men to send snapshots to DENNIS HANIAN, Chestertown, N.Y. Has a booking for the Four Men of State in Brisbane, anytime between now and 1 July. HIRSH,MERRIAM, REEVES, please take notice: The latest address I have for Hirsh is Lt. I.J. Hirsh, 087570, 1314 W. University Avenue, Urbana, Ill. BOB FOLAND is in Dutch N.G. Unlike some of these lads, he has been running into nobody he knows. He is with a combat cargo squadron and he has been doing a whale of a lot of flying. Bob's a navigator. "On my first trip, my pilotf inquired as to when he should set his wheels down. I specified a particular minute just as if I knew. When the minute arrived, we were about half way down the runway, quite where we were supposed to be. The pilot was impressed--I was startled. It was bad way to start off because now he racks me back if we are over a minute off." All through the Marianas, Marshalls, Philippines, Admiralty's, there are Statesmen, if you can find them. Take Lt. HARRY PASSOW, for example, who is on Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshalls. MAC CAPPON is on one of the Marianas. Poor old Mac. He says the food is good, but he can't say as much for the officers, and instead of enjoying the Islas Marianas, he envies WALKER in Italy and HIGSEN in England. Want to swap some historical sights for a little sunshine, boys? NORM BALDWIN, who is on the Admiralty Islands, I have heard from a couple of times. He writes that he likes his new job very much, and from what I learn from Louise, he is flying as an enlisted man on Navy transport planes. Up above I mentioned Lou Greenspan running into MIKE DIGIOIA. Then there came a letter from Mike who by that time was in the Philippines. He says, "I have seen five or six native villages or towns and they are a bad sight. The youngsters had their education stopped during the Jap occupation. They could attend, but the majority refused to. People are half-starved, half clothed. They sure are glad to see the Americans around." He also reporting running into Steve Godfrey and Lou Greenspan, while fat-cating in Australia. Captain GAR ARTHUR. Philippines, in an anti-aircraft unit, better known as the "flashlight boys." "A new experience for me has been the thud of bombs and the living, always on the brink. To say one is not downright scared would be a gross understatement, but we learn to take it in our stride." He and Betty have struck another jackpot--this time a second daughter named Joanne. Jeanne is 1 1/2 years old. Gar is impressed by the superiority of the Filipinos to the natives of N.G. And his letter, like practically every other one from the Philippines talks of the rain and the mud. Twice I have heard from HARRY GUMAER. He too says of the Filipinos, "They are a fine people. The Nip air force gave us a rough time for a while with their reversion to barbarism, known as the 'suicide dive,' but things are quiet now. The Philippines are better than N.G. but as for me, I want to go home." Brother, you ain't the only one. I heard from HELEN BLAKE BROPHYto give me BILL's address in the Philippines; then he wrote.Bill's brother, Jim, is president of the freshman class here, so we keep a finger on the family. So far as I know, Bill, there has been no decision about what to call the new gym. I recently suggested to the President that it ought to be named in some way which will indicate that it is a memorial to all the boys who don't come back, and I am searching around for something other than Memorial Hall or something equally as trite. If any of you have suggestions, you might let me know. Most of Bill's work has been in personnel and he says that he has a 9-man section fighting the paper war. His bunch left Oahu for Yap and had their target changed en route. Of the Philippines he said, " I have had a ring side seat for most of this show." Saw JOHNNY HAVKO in the Hawaiians. Johnny is a Red Cross field worker. Through him Bill saw Roy SULLIVAN, JERRY SADDLEMIRE, and WALT HARPER as they went through.Bill and Johnny had dinner one night with Roy, who navigates naval transport planes and gets around plenty. If any of you have Havko's address, I would like to have it because what I have on file is way out of date. I should have mentioned above that Lt. PHIL MURPHY is in the Marianas--93th Bomb Squadron, where he is bombardier on a B-24. They have completed several mission on Jap-held islands; some of the strikes have been pretty rough but the crew has escaped purple hearts so far. Typical Army gripe: the Navy's getting all the beer. But he says "The Navy gave this place one hell of a shelling before our forces landed--you don't have to look far to find evidence of man-made hell." A long letter from PETE FULVIO, now a jg on the USS General R. E. Callan. He left the Aquilla last March and then saw to it that Henry Kaiser did right by the construction of his new ship. When they ran the pennant up on 17 August, he was Damage Control Officer and assistant to the first lt. Between that date and late January, they had something like 35,000 steaming miles to their credit and have never been in the same place twice. This is where good sailors go when they die, according to Pete--a modern, fast transport. He says they have carried everything from combat troops and CB's to women and psycho-neurotics. As near as I can figure out, the GI Bill of Rights will give you $75 (if you were single it would only be $50) a month for incidental fees, books and supplies and $500 a year for tuition. Your first 90 days service gives you one year's education and an additional year of college work for every year of service up to a maximum of four years. Now, you went in Feb. '42. If you were being discharged this month, you could, as I understand it, glean four years' education. Lt. FREDDIE STUNT wrote Dec. 2 from the South Pacific after spending six months on the gravy train in the Atlantic. He reports that if you want to hear long and many dirty songs, find an RAF outfit. He saw a good deal of Wales, Gibraltar, Mediterranean. His ship was converted from a DE to an APD. "This being a fast troop transport," he says, "Got into some of the Philippine Islands show, but weren't fast enough once. We can all read the papers and hear of 'only one destroyer sunk, etc.' and think 'How good. What minor losses.' They are not minor when suddenly they are your buddies manning that ship. Then this damn war begins to get personal and you begin to swear at the yellow bastards and really mean it." Says he saw Will Fremont in December. This was on a DEÊafter some Atlantic duty. Freddie says, "As for family statistics, I have a wife, one three year old and one 'It' minus one month." Xmas cards from HAL DUFFEY, PETE DANODA, WALT HARPER and ED HOLSTEIN, all of them Navy officers, and all of them in the pacific. From Holstein also came a letter mid-January. Ed hasn't seen any Statesmen since leaving home. Tell you what to do, Ed--start looking in the back room. These boys have a way of making themselves at home pretty fast. Ed is a skipper on PC-571. "All I have to do now is sit on my duff and worry like hell but I might as well get paid for it; I do it anyway." He hopes that maybe next year he won't have to welcome in the New Year cold sober. You don't have to worry about taking any more courses in composition. You write what I have always admired most, and that is good muscular prose. To hell with the frills. Lt. CHARLIE QUINN is on the USS Boggs, an oil piper of the World War I era. They tow targets for newer vessels to practice firing at. Staff officer for division commander. On shore he spends a good deal of time in a gym trying to avoid the middle-age waist line that his pretty Marion kids him about. You are right about Jerry Saddlemire. One afternoon a while back, Saddlemire and Cap'n Gordon Rand and Gordon's bonny wife and I had a couple of snorts together and talked through the war. Jerry had been in the Philippines landings and had some marvelous stories about the way the Filipino guerrillas had operated. Apparently they had kept the Japs completely terrified. He is going to school for a spell and then getting new assignment. MAX EDELSTEIN on the USS Tripoli also wrote to me in January. I gather that Max is on a flat top and has been seeing both oceans for he speaks of Nova Scotia, Argentina and now he is back in the Pacific. STAN GIPP of the USS Patroclus wrote to me in January and the came in to see us. His ship is in dry dock but rather thought he would be going places soon. Lt. EDMUND ERWIN wrote to me from sea. He says, "I am taking another boat ride. It is the first one I have really enjoyed--good food, good quarters, ice water, few restrictions and no work. It is really a unique experience for most boat rides are a severe pain in the neck for army personnel." He doesn't tell me where he is going. Though if I were Mac Cappon I would add one (1) to my APO and start looking for Erwin.

There is still a big bunch of lads in England. Almost all of them are, as you might imagine, in the Air Corps, either flying or in ground forces. For example, there is Sgt. GEORGE KUNZ. It looked for a while as though Gen. Marshall would just have to keep George here for the whole war. Somehow he pried himself loose and after feeding the fishes three hot meals a day, he landed in the British Isles. George told of having heard from LUKE ZILLES and I would appreciate it if he would send me Luke's address, because I don't have it and would sure like to hear from him. For a while George was in the heart of London and took advantage of free time to see some plays and concerts, and then at long last, a few historical monuments, strictly between pubs, you understand. A man has to do something after closing hours. Some of the best bull sessions I have had in this office since the war began were the ones that started whenGeorge landed in town. We really chewed the fat. DICK HISGEN has moved around some and been doing some reading. Wrote a very moving description of an airplane crack-up that he saw in his field. He also included a belly-laugh called A Short Course in Rotation to ready a man for reoccupation of the USA.Two letters from Rich Young, who has the same APO as DAVE BITTMAN and an APO which is the same as Dick Hisgen, plus one (1)--if that will help anybody find anybody. Twice Rich has been forced down in France and spent one night in a chateau. The palce was steam-heated and for once he was really warm. "Yeah, we really enjoyed that evening in France. We met a gal who had six Germans to her credit--all with a knife. She told us the story in sign language and it was very impressive. The French people are sudden death to bomber crews as such because of the great amount of destruction to their towns and cities. Oddly enough a paratrooper is practically a national hero. They think the paratroopers liberated France single-handed. We were asked 'Avon?' We answered 'no' emphatically and did our best to convey the impression of paratroopers." Subtract 39 from your APO, Rich, and you will have Combs' APO. I am sorry you missed GERDTS, Rich, when you went up to see him, but I was glad to see from your letter and ERNIE MANNDILLO's that you, he and BOLO MARSLAND and COMBS are all planning to get together. Maybe you can pick up some other lads too. MARSLAND says in his letter of 11 February, " I was in London about two weeks, getting the lowdown on flying control, here in the ETO. Part of your training included a familiarization trip to Paris where we spent two nights; one drinking champagne and the other, seeing the Folies Bergere." (Oh, the memories of my youth!) "I am still in the British Isles but further north than London. I have been to visit Glasgow a couple of times. Saw Harry Bora back in December just passing through here." BITTMAN has written me twice, once including some magnificent pictures of bombers in formation--pictures that he took. My most recent address for DAVE SLAVIN is Base Weather Station, Shaw Field, Sumter, S.C. At Xmas CHARLIE CAPEL sent me kind words and good wishes. Sgt. HIPPICK sent me a postcard during a leave in London which he says he wouldn't have missed for the world. Sgt. JOE SCHWARTZ ran into BUTCH FEIGENBAUM in December in London, the day before Butch headed for the continent. Joe is stationed near London, and could easily make arrangements to meet anyone who is about. He says, "I have been doing extremely interesting work and must say I wouldn't swap it for anything else. Our new camp is an old estate, beautiful place, with gardens, trees, walks and hedges, well-built buildings." Been up to Cambridge a couple of times, where he had lunch with the Dean of Trinity College. PAUL WAGNER is also flying as first pilot on a fort. If Paul will subtract 144 form his APO, he can get in touch with Schwartz. If he adds 2 to his APO he can get in touch with Rich Young, and if he adds 184 to his APO he will get in touch with Bob Marsland. If he adds 1 to his APO, he will get in touch with Dick Hisgen. If he adds 2 he will get in touch with Dave Bittman; adding 296 will get him Charlie Capel. With Wagner as center man and your own APO, you lads ought to be all set for a party.

BERNIE PERLMAN is also in England (sub 180 from your APO, Joe Schwartz) with the troop carries command; spends a lot of time polishing up so that he can be inspected by resounding brass. The night he wrote me they were having a discussion at the Red Cross on what is wrong with democracy, which, he remarks, is "a good portent." "On the whole the GI's here are much more wide awake to the war than their brothers back in the States. The English are wonderful, especially the Tommies." EVERSON KINN is in Northern Ireland still. FRANCE is full of Statesmen. Sgt. Fred Weed was still in Paris at Xmas time and DON WING got my October letter in February with eight forwarding addresses on the envelope. ART CORNWELL met JIMMY DUNNING, who slept on the deck above him in the transport. "After waiting in a French harbor for three days, they unloaded us over the side at night on to an LCT. I got a glimpse of what the invasion must have been like and some idea of what guts those guys must have had." He spent his birthday with his brother Bill. Now he says, "I have seen planes shot down and heard artillery boom and flash, but I have not looked a heinie in the eyes yet, which is ok too. It is damn cold at night, but we were lucky last night and slept in a barn."ROLF TOEPFER, in civil affairs, sent me Xmas greetings; I would really enjoy a letter from him. Capt. LEN FRIEDLANDER says, "This county has really taken a beating over here--houses, churches, vehicles--all in ruins. The people appear very poor and outside of the big cities they live a life reminiscent of the middle ages." He came up through Marseilles and apparently has been working north and then east--seeing the world. MARSHALL ACKERMAN, who is in a hospital in South France, was first scout in the infantry for the 36th division when a Jerry sniper put some lead in him. Practically healed now and getting swell treatment at the hospital. Luck, boy. RED EVANSquotes the Stars and Stripes for 14 January, where it says of his regiment. "Men of the 517th Attack Outfit of Stavolot today gained 1500 yards." But Red goes on to say "The old kid got a lucky break for once, and was on quarters with an infected foot when they left for the front, so me and another guy with a boil in his butt were left to guard the duffel bags." Of the Riviera he says, "and there were more reasons than one that I wished we had stayed down there. We were fighting in the mountains and that kind of cut operations down to anything but artillery and infantry, not like there is up north. That's kind of rough. It was harder on a guy physically running up and down those hills, but it was worth it. The Germans did not go around like mad Indians going to relieve themselves either." He says too, "I will never forget the look on an old frog's face when I walked in on his family eating breakfast on D-Day. I couldn't find me buddies for some reason, and I was the first American he and his family had seen." Capt. JOE BOSLEY wrote to me in November but it was January before I got it. His 15th corps slugged it out at the Falaise Gap "and that is about the worst slaughter of the war. Then we grabbed the bridge-head at the Seine and sat on it until two armies had passed over, up into Belgium at Nantes. We had 36 battalions of FA pitching stuff at the other team and it is said that we got 5000 of them in three days. I guess I saw about 2000 luscious cadavers and heartily wish it was 2 million. From that spot we swung around to Troyes where we snagged warehouse full of stimulant. At one time I had 300 cases of brandy, cognac, vermouth, cointreau. I practically floated though the next stage of the war, but returned to normal when we got the job of forcing the Saverne Gap, and taking Strasbourg." "I haven't gotten to see Paris nor I haven't yet been kissed by a French gal. We have been going so fast even the French gals couldn't get us, and brother, that is fast. I have seen PORCINO three times in France, and he is the only Stater I have run into althoughTOEPFER was around me some place for a while." EDDIE BURKE wrote me on New Year's eve from the same area. He wrote it from the front lines but a bottle of champagne was within reaching distance. He says, "Since I wrote from Southern France, near Marseilles, I have been dashing around practically all of the 7th Army front. We first moved into the line in the Vosges mountains near a town called St. Dil We fought through there into the plains leading to the Rhine, a little sw of Strasbourg. We moved from there to the lines north of us and even crossed into Germany. Again we have changed sectors and are having a fairly quiet time for a change." The latest issue ofBERNIE BERNFARLT's news-sheet to his friends says. "The new issue sleeping bag entirely surrounds the wearer and when zipped up leaves only the nose and mouth exposed--no doubt so that the wearer can call for help when unable to extricate himself. The perfect thing to scare the hell out of a haunted house." DAN PRESTON wrote me the other day that the only Statesman that he had run into was Bernhardt. Dan has been in combat most of the time since he arrived in France; is with the 3rd division. Landing in France, August 15, he has "been moving up and down the French countryside ruining many a kraut's dreams of a superior race." From Lt. (jg) BILL DICKSON, I have had two letters, one a V-mail which I am sorry to say I just can't make out. I was wrong last issue about his being transferred to LCI's. He is still on board PC-553 where he has been for nearly two years and expects to continue to be for a long time. He is getting a good deal done in some French coastal town where he talks about the terrific amount of mud on the cobbled roads: "trucks run about up the their hubs in mud and walking becomes a tedious backaching labor. No wonder it is slow at the fronts. I have nothing but admiration and pride for the Infantry. They are the ones who are fighting the war. in the last analysis. A new officer came aboard one of the ships in our group about a month ago. His name is VINCENT PICKETT, who was in the class of '45." I remember Pickett very well myself. He was the last man I ever had in English 3. He was, as you might say, a lone wolf in the class and, gentleman, I choose my words carefully. But, as you say, Bill, a very good guy.

I got two swell letters from ART FLAX who is still at SHAEF. He and Leo are still together and have been passing their letters on to STEW SMITH. How about Stew's address? They sawAINARD GELBOND and had a first rate bull session. They have been getting to see and know Paris and to like it. Yes, Art. Dr. Terwilliger has remarried. Your second letter with its merry, hearty, intelligent defense of London was heart-warming and very pleasant. You really got to know the place.

Moving into the area roughly covered by Belgium, Holland and Germany--on the 7th of December IRV FINGER wrote me from somewhere in Belgium. Last paragraph, " I am not on the front lines right now but tonight I have got to hit a dugout about 1000 yards from Jerry. So I have to say so long. Hope to hear from you soon." But the letter I sent Irv five days later came back to me with the ominous inscription "Missing..." So it looks as though that dugout wasn't a good place to be, and we can only hope that when the rest of you boys start opening up the Stalags, you will find Irv Finger. When I was talking about faculty activities, I should have mentioned that JOHN COCHRANE is in Belgium. He says, "I have spent a good half of my year in the ETO running a radio for the MPs, a fair boondoggle as things go over here. We also had a part in running the red ball highway and hit a lot of dust as we directed traffic back in Normandy. Things are calm here along the Belgae, although over Xmas things were what you might call unsettled." THIRSTY PAUL tells about the battle of the bulge. The Colonel says, "One of our units seized a little seven-building village t'other day and rounded up 400 supermen all anxious to get to America. Sometimes I wish I could get on the other side of this fence and get captured and shipped to the good old USA."Cpl. JOE MUGGLETON has been helping the padre in his outfit on religious services for the Catholic men in his area. He says, "The number who are able to attend is very small--men say their prayers in fox holes and Sunday is simply another day of hell on earth." I have put Dorothy's name on the list, Joe. He ran into NEIL FOGARTY--in church of all places. What's Neil's address? HARRY BADEN had been watching the buzz bombs go overhead. The key sentence in the letter was blacked out. The hell with him--tell me when it's over. He has been having a good time in Brussels off and on; reporting that both the bands and the women are hot. A good letter from JACK NORDELL came last week, and who should come popping in on its tail but Mrs. Nordell herself, who was looking cheery and gay as ever, though I gather she'd just as soon get a glimpse of Jack, who says, "I am somewhere in Belgium, where the bulge was but ain't." In November his outfit started by taking Geilkirchen and a dozen other towns up in the Siegfried line. Von Ruudstodt interrupted that little sojourn with an invitation to a Xmas party in Belgium. "We had such a good time, we stayed for a new year's party. This time we threw the party. The bulge became a bubble and we are back in a little Belgian village, catching our breath and getting ready for the knockout if Uncle Joe doesn't beat us to it--not that I would mind." Another one who has been following the Germans across France and Belgium is Lt. BILL HOPKE. He says, "Although details may not be sent yet (concerning the bulge) I know that I shall always have more than a school teacher's academic interest in the break-through--V-1, flying bombs, V-2, strafing, tanks--the book." Married a Georgia peach last March. LOU RABINEAU from his Xmas card is in a medical detachment also in Belgium. Lt. ED SIMONDS, writing Xmas: "I have just receive your October letter which reached me with seven addresses on it." He was in Lorraine when the pulled him out to do a little slugging against Von Rundstadt. He has an 81 MM mortar section. Says, "Moved into a tiny town at dusk lst night and after we outposted it, I began to look for a house for my section. What a coincidence. The only adequate building I could find was a large tavern. Tapped a fresh keg of beer and brought out a dozen bottles of Rhinish wine. We followed Epicure's rule, moderation in everything, but relaxed for a couple of hours and then slept, weariness softened by losing that tension. Covered two more villages today but these bastards keep infiltrating nights until you never know from nothing. I am celebrating Xmas eve with a K-ration, a quart of Francesco Cizano--whatever the hell that is--light but very smooth and very powerful. Routine, weariness, a gnawing tension. All I see is blood, violence, hate and destruction--the fault undoubtedly within me. Nothing has pleased me more than to hear ofHOWIE ANDERSON's commission." GRAHAM DUNCAN, Infantry, also played opposite Von Rundstadt Xmastime. "My outfit has fought in France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, in and out of the line so many times we are beginning to feel like pass the bottle. Anti-tank platoons are somewhat outdated so we are called upon as litter bearers, ammunition crews, etc., and for bringing in prisoners--good for many a wild story--chicken, fruit,--and premature gray hair. We are still young enough in heart, however, and still balanced enough to know that life is worth living out, that we have tougher problems than ever to face after the peace and that as isolated individuals, we discover ourselves as well as our fellow men." EARL SNOW and ANDY TAKAS, JOHN MURRAY and GLEN CLARK, all with the same APO, were in the Luxembourg-Germany area at latest writing. One from Earl, 5 January. The old maestro says John Murray is right along with him, pounding a typewriter in the personnel office. Andy Takas, now resting in a hospital, is a wire officer and took a few hours off to come over to Earl's outpost. "He found me in the horizontal parade rest position pounding what would have been a pillow if there had been a pillow there. I was very glad to see a familiar face... My duty is permanent guard, which I have been pulling since July 7th". Takas had already reported this visit. Andy says that John Murray hasn't changed a bit and that after the years he was exactly as Andyremembered him. Snow is a little heavier physically and completely renovated form the ascetic college days. Reports that they discussed with thoroughness the liquor situation east from St. Lo. It should gratify both their wives that they did not mention women, it says here. Capt. JIM CHAPELL was in Germany when he wrote me on 26 January. His company was just awarded the War Department meritorious service award, the first for an ambulance unit in that territory. He says, "That makes me feel kind of proud. The boys have worked hard, from D-2 right up to date." Stan Smith is with General Electric in Syracuse, Jim. Of Germany, this "It is the same as most of the countries--the towns are a pile of rubble; plenty of GIs hanging around a quite a few civilians but the civilians have a 'no talk' sign hung on the by General Ike, and just as well. However, from what I have seen of those German frauleins, they are the prettiest looking gals I have seen since leaving the States. They dress quite well... Of course, the clothes were probably stolen from Paris, but they look neat in then. No great shortage of silk stockings, either--don't ask how I know that they are silk; it's an irrelevant question. The people go about their business of building up their homes, watching with sullen looks as we go by and looking a little bit thinner than some of the European folk." Cpl. BOB LAWLOR is also in Germany and wrote me a very characteristic letter; has had several months of front line fighting. Is finding German libraries and museums well-stocked and interesting. "War has its lighter moments even at the front."

I don't have so many correspondents from Italy, but what I have are pretty faithful. PAUL BARSELOU, Lt. HERMAN BLUMEL, Cpl. PAUL FERENCIK and Pvt. WAYNE WALKER have same APO--that means something in some places but it may not mean a thing in Italy. From BUTCH WALKER at Xmastime came another long letter enclosing some very interesting photos of a colonization project which he was near. It is increasingly difficult to travel around and no longer can he go to Florence, Rome, Naples, Loghorn. Three out of four of the towns are off limits because of VD. Paul Ferencik is with the 15th Air Force flying B-24s. When he wrote me he was busy being oriented and waiting for a break in the weather; met Lt.FREDDIE BEYER in a transfer camp a while back, both waiting assignment. Herman Blumell says BOB MEEK owes him a letter and what's cooking. Took him a month to fly from New England to Italy via Africa. At that writing, Tom had four missions but probably by this time the number is considerably closer to what he needs to get home. Lt. Barselou says the rain is so bad where he is that they are thinking of putting pontoons on the jeeps. Paul also had four missions to his credit, one of them over Munich. Once they got a piece a flak through the nose which bounced off his flak suit. My last letter told how Howie Anderson had been wounded. There's a good sequel to that. He was taken further back from the lines to a big base hospital--but let him tell it himself: "One day I was just beginning a game of chess when someone slapped me on the back and grinned a familiar welcome. It was Fred Ferris, who is 20 minutes from War C." Ginny Polhomus, whose letters as class secretary are really something, had arranged the meeting. "Fred looks very well and talks solid sense." Then I had a letter from Fred with his account of the same foregathering, with the word that Howiewould soon be back in the running, followed by a letter from the front in which Howie gave a funny account of a chicken some of the bought, but it died of old age or disease before they could kill it. Other letters from the same sector from Captain EARLE CLEAVES and Lt. MICHAEL MICKRITZ. I think I sent SODERLIND the address of Barselou; if I didn't, Art, look up the 347th sq., 99th Bmb Gp, and subtract 262 from your APO.Art's with the forestry engineers, up in the mountains. I've also heard from STEVE BULL again, who is stringing telephone wires from one end of the boat to the other, and fromBARTMAN. The hospital records were wrong, Bob, Andersonwas in the 15th Evac. when he wrote me, but I'm sorry your 60-mile trip to see him was in vain. Bartman is going to be one of those veterans who will enthrall the younger generation with stories of the beauties of Paris. At least he says they were beauties, the old goat. MARTY BORTNICK will be glad to know that his class remembered him this week at their banquet--remembered each of the fellows who are no longer among them by name and with anecdotes. Before I end up the overseas letters, Lt. BOB MacGREGOR is stationed in South America. I see Bob's wife every once in a while and a pleasant sight she is, too. He expects eventually to go to Ascension Island, "The Rock." His region rotates each man every six months and that way he hits four stations during the tour of duty and everyone gets the crap as well as the gravy. One trip to Rio. He says. "We are obliged to fly over the routes for which we forecast twice." They finally got hotel room with bath, three meals a day and (honest to God, this is what it says) hot and cold running chamber maids. DON [illegible] dropped me off a letter from Brazil as he flew to some other destination. They made the trip over in three days with easy stops. He saw a lot of South America from 10,000 feet. "We have a big hop ahead of us. There is a pond to cross now. If smaller ships have done it, we certainly should be able to get there, but I'll be sweating it out until we hit land again. The crew just looked at me, hoping I know where I am going. If they knew how confused I am at times, they wouldn't be so confident of me. We got this far, so I am not too worried about the crossing."

Back in this country from the South Pacific, T/S BILL FORREST is down at Cherry Point, N.C.; sees WINNIE BAER now and then and says she is just as cute as ever. Sorry to miss you, Bill. Lt. (jg) DICK LONSDALE is now at the amphibious training base in Morro Bay, Calif., acting as classification officer. This is after having seen D-Day and after, on the beaches of Normandy. Carol added a good postscript. Speaking of wives, HATTIE TYNAN wrote that DUNTON is detached temporarily from his ship and is at engineering school in Norfolk. She had heard from MARIE O'HORA that EDDIE O'HORA was having serious difficulties with his eyes, but Eddie has reassured me that that news is out of date and that he is in good shape. JANEHANSEN reports that FRANK has a "new and interesting job in the field artillery." They await the long-legged bird. Good oldMOOSE GERBER, now out of the hospital and very much himself again, has been put on the inactive list and is teaching in a New York City h.s. ART COLLINS, stationed in Victorville, Calif., with the air corps, is spending his free time reading through James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake. The MAC REEVESare at OTU, Box 2, FAS. Banana River, Fla. GEORGE TAYLOR has gotten his discharge and is back practicing law in Plattsburgh. Ensign ROSEMARY LAFFERTY tells me that Ensign RUTH MARCLEY is with the BUREAU of Aeronautics in Washington. Ensign ROSE AULISE is at the Brooklyn Naval Hospital. Said she had seen GUSSIE KATZ down at Corpus Christi after a musical show in which GUSSIE had taken part. [Illegible] KAY SMITH is at Majavi, Calif. ROY SOMMERS, who is at Camp Blanding, Fla., is a chaplain's assistant, studying German, Chinese and Jap. S 3/C ESTINE POSKANZER is working for the Naval P.O. and was in the Bronx when last heard from. Ens. EDITH SCHOLL is at Norfolk, Va. Poor girl, poor girl. Ens. ALBERTA LEE finds herself surrounded by German and Jap ordnance at the Naval Power factory, Indian Mead, Md. WARREN KULLAMN has his commission now, brother STAN is in Chicago, while he himself is at Pensacola. Cpl. MICHAEL MARKARIAN, Camp Siebert, Ala., where he is in a chemical warfare camp doing clerical and personnel work at the hdqs. Ran into KIRCHER and NORTH--what's North's address? Lt. FRANK KLUGE, CG, back in this country with four battle stars, is stationed at Manhattan Beach. Not, you understand, that Kluge has written to me, the low life. In my books, Frank Kluge is a great big bum until I hear from him. After a fine gold brick assignment at Quantico, they shippedPETE MARCHETTA to St. Simons Island, Ga., and he sat down to write a bitch-letter about it. But you know Pete--he'll get over it. He is training to be a fire director--i.e., the one who directs defensive fighter plane to intercept enemy air attacks. He says GRYWACZ is at one of the outlying fields at Kingston, N.C. He says, "BEN REED and BILL TUCKER came up from new River 50 miles away to see Bill Forrest, Walt and me at Cherry Point, but before we could reciprocate, Walt and I shoved off. Walt's in radar." Pfc. WARREN WAGNER, who was at State a few days back, is at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, in the 770 MPs, a demonstration unit for the Provost Marshall General School. At 4th Army hdqs. he'll find Sgt ETTORE GRADONI. Warren ran into Capt. MARIE METZ and they had a chance to chew the fat every once in a while, until Marie was shipped back to Washington in January. BOB TEETER still in Miss.--was around here recently telling me how a 1st Sgt, keeps the Army running the way it ought to. Shipping soon. EnsignHERB LOWN at Miami. It's Major DENNIS DOLE now at Drew Field, Fla. S 2/C ANGELA FABRIZIO was at the Naval bast at San Pedro and what a pretty eyeful I bet she is in a uniform--working for the captain of the boat control station at the head of the channel at Los Angeles harbor. Capt. BOB HERTWIG is at Dallas. The GORDON HASTINGS are expecting to be changing diapers in the near future. Lt. RUSS LUDLUM, USNR, is at Notre Dame. T/Sgt. PHIL AUERBACH, '34, another old timer, was in Halloran Hospital as a blood chemist while his wife acted as secretary to the CO. In January he expected soon to be moved to the Pacific in a military intelligence section. HANK SCHON is back from Alaska and now has his commission. GEORGE POULOS, S T/C has been taking a quartermaster course and was last heard from sitting under a California palm tree. JOE FRANCELLOhas been trying to get together with Warren Kullman andReeves at Pensacola. Says his brother Louis' outfit in Italy has been given a presidential citation. ART and ANN SELD are still at Sampson. Capt. PAUL DITTMAN and my old pall MILLIEand their daughter Diana sent me a Xmas note and I have Diana's picture up here on the bulletin board, surrounded by the toughest looking bunch of GI's you ever saw. Capt. FRANCES (BETTY) FALLON is training for the military government of Japan. Want to see Betty in the Emperor's palace? BEN GITLIN at Kearns, Utah, and half of his letter is in Japanese; he's going to be an interrogator of prisoners of war. Sayonara to you, Ben. AL BORA is with the army transport command with Hdqs. in Memphis, Tenn. For his first flight in December, he navigated an A-26 to England via South American and Africa. Says he ran into DAVE SLAVIN at Columbia, S.C. In Prestwick, Scotland, he ran into BOLO MARSLAND. Got back from that first trip just in time to get to Albany for Xmas. T/Sgt.JD VANDERPOEL sent an intriguing Xmas card from Fayetteville, N.C. Pvt. PAT LATIMER, one of our handsomest gifts to the army, went overseas sometime after Xmas. Lt. PAUL MERRITT is a carpetbagger down at the navy yard in Charleston. Says his kid brother is out in the Hawaiians with a CB unit. Paul has been taking care of spare parts for the AKA which rate a high priority in the navy these days. EnsignRALPH JOHNSON has been out to the Admiralty's but is now at Harvard which, the Navy decided, would be a good place for him to get his commission. BOB PECK, out of Harvard and Nebraska, has been monkeying around with the installation of link-trainers. Lt. RALPH FREDERICK is with the ATC at Kelly Field, Texas. Thought he would probably get shipped in a reasonably short time and that's ok with Ralph, except that he's got a nice little wife whom it's tough to leave. DICK CHIMELLI wrote me from St. Mary's, Calif, but expected soon to take preliminary flight training at Norman, Okla. Always nice to hear from JOHNNY ALDEN. They say the SHORTY LEGGETTS are at Ft. Worth, where Shorty is now undergoing B-24, 1st pilot training. ART RUSSEL, Hare Island, Calif., where he is at the submarine base, was expecting to be mess cook for a month. I hope I have Art's address right. Lt. ROSE BECKWITH is at Ft. Belvoir, Va., where she is port ration officer--otherwise known as the girl who always says no. Her mother wants to know, "Is that bad?" GLENN DELONG is another one down at Kelly Field, where he is clerk typist, after having done everything else this Army has to offer, but he thought they were going to send him someplace else soon. Now it's Ensign Rog M. Wall. NORMAN ARNOLD is at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, recently had an exciting trip to England where he ran into Lt. MIKE CYMBALAK. Norman was putting nickels in the one-arm bandit when Mike came up and said, "Didn't you go to State College?" which made them both ready for a drink. HELEN BROPHY tells me that TOD FAIRBANKSand his wife (Betty McConnell) have a new son, Richard. Toad is on sea duty, Atlantic side. Bridegroom CLYDE CORSON wrote me a cheery postcard. BUD STINGER is in the army hospital in the north where he is in recuperation from a touch of TB. I saw him for a few minutes yesterday. Lt. LES RUBIN is in the contract termination branch of the Army, medical purchasing office, N.Y.C. MERR, back from the South Pacific and heavy fighting, has been discharged and is getting his feet back under him in Schenectady.

Dr. BOB FREDERICK of Milne wanted to say to you "The placement office is still operating at State, placing 4-year graduates on one year temporary licenses. We have your credential, hope you want to get into teaching again. If you expect a discharge soon, let us know whether you want to teach. We'll go to bat for you. If you have had special training which strengthens your credentials, let us know now, so that we won't be swamped when you all come home."

From all of us here take care of yourselves and good luck.

Always,

Lou Jones